Romanian Farmers Set To Stage Ample Protest Rally In Bucharest On Sept 9

Agrostar head Niculae Stefan told a press conference Thursday that the agriculture sector's major players assembled in a crisis committee called "Save the agriculture" decided to jointly organize a series of protests in September.

He said disgruntled farmers will stage protests in front of prefect offices countrywide on September 2, adding that over 40,000 farmers with over 10,000 farm machines are expected to rally in protest marches.

Niculae went on to say that farmers and unionists in the sector plan to stage an ample protest in Bucharest, on September 9, which, he stressed is expected to bring together 15,000 farmers with nearly 300 farm machines. Also, if authorities fail to take the necessary measures and do something for the agriculture sector, farmers will then proceed to block national and county roads on September 23.

Niculae said farmers only want authorities to respect their rights, adding they totally disagree with the way Agriculture Minister Mihai Dumitru does his job. Niculae stressed that subsides have been cut and all projects and plans have been hindered or cancelled under Dumitru's headship.

He also said that, in the wake of the assembly of the crisis committee "Save the Agriculture", representatives of unions and employers' associations in the sector have worked on a series of demands to be included in a memorandum that will be sent to the presidency, the Government, the Parliament, parliamentary parties and all Romanian MEPs.

Romanian social democrats, in opposition, on Thursday called on Minister Dumitru to resign, stressing he is incapable of coping with the problems in the sector. Social democrat senator Olguta Vasilescu underscored that losses reported by farmers go beyond "imagination".

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